WAYNE KRAMER AND FRED "SONIC" SMITH, WITH THE MC5, "KICK OUT THE JAMS"

Here's a great live clip from the Detroit Tubeworks TV show. As much as I love the Stooges, sometimes when I want to hear an over-the-top late sixties protopunk band from Michigan, I turn to the MC5.

I'll be offline for a bit-- this dose of adrenaline will have to tide you over till I'm back at my computer.
(MORE)

ALEX CHILTON, R.I.P.

Alex Chilton just passed away. This news reminded me of all the hours I spent years ago trying to absorb his music. Chilton is mostly known as a songwriter, which is fair enough; his guitar playing is rarely discussed, though, which amounts to criminal negligence. When I was younger and going to shows all the time, I saw tons of rock and roll guitar players. Chilton was as good as any of them, and better than most. He was also one of the most interesting players around-- his style combined elements of Beatles-esque pop with a trashy garage aesthetic. He was one of my big influences-- a guy who showed that you could be serious about learning the instrument without rejecting raunchy and primitive idioms. At times, he sounded like the Cramps' Ivy Rorschach with chops; other times he was more like Steve Cropper with more sophisticated chord changes. I even saw him play a Bach piece on a Telecaster while yammering D.C. hipsters stupidly talked through it. Pearls before swine.

The tracks here are from one of his stranger albums, "Like Flies on Sherbet." This album sounds like a bunch of drunken outtakes, but Chilton constantly surprises with interesting guitar ideas. Record collectors tend to obsess about his more mainstream stuff, like the first two Big Star albums. I like those records too, but the stuff I can't get enough of is more in this vein (like the third Big Star album, "Sister Lovers"). "Like Flies on Sherbet" is sort of a weird primitive rock and roll album, with a little pop mixed in. The third Big Star album is more or less the opposite-- a weird pop album with some primitive rock and roll mixed in. If there's an album that does a better job blending Phil Spector with the Velvet Underground, I don't know about it. (Not that this description really explains what this album's all about-- glib critical summations are often of little musicological value. I'm just pointing out that when I'm interested in mixing darker themes with catchy pop, this album is my frame of reference. It was definitely an album I ripped off [or tried to!] during the "Soul Parking" sessions.)
(MORE)

MICKEY BAKER, 1966

Here's an oddity-- Mickey Baker plays a funky instrumental with a bunch of stiffly frugging white people.

Mickey is one of the great session guitarists-- he played on plenty of raw rhythm and blues records, but had enough chops to play jazz and even write one of the classic guitar instruction books.
(still one of the best bargains in guitar books-- Mickey Baker's Complete Course in Jazz Guitar. There are two volumes, but here's a link to the first.
www.amazon.com/Mickey-Bakers-Complete-Course-Guitar/dp/0825652804/ref=pd_sim_m_3)
His recordings are in a variety of styles, but it's not uncommon to hear him mixing it up as he does here. When he plays the blues, his impeccable phrasing and articulation betray his jazz background; when he plays in more of a jazz context, he's apt to throw in some distortion, surf-like reverb and echo, etc.

I keep forgetting about Mickey Baker because much of his best work is spread across countless rare albums by other artists. Check out his album, "The Wildest Guitar," available as a pricey used CD or a more reasonable download. www.amazon.com/Wildest-Guitar-Mickey-Baker/dp/B000083EIT
This record, one of many kitschy instrumental records by obscure session players, is surely one of the best of its type. I used to buy records like this all the time, and this one stood out from the pack.
(MORE)

FREDDY KING WITH GATEMOUTH BROWN AND THE BEAT BOYS, "SAN-HO-ZAY" AND "TORE DOWN"

Here's the great Freddy King, burning in the transitional era when James Brown-style funk was starting to come in. There's a video available of all Freddy's appearances from the Beat!!!! TV show. I have a lot of instructional videos-- few of them are as helpful as these clips of Freddy playing the guitar.
(MORE)

STEVE WINWOOD WITH TRAFFIC, 1972, "DEAR MR. FANTASY"

Steve Winwood isn't really known for his guitar playing, but he should be. He's getting a nice tone here with a Gibson Firebird.
(MORE)

MICK RONSON WITH IAN HUNTER, "ONCE BITTEN, TWICE SHY"

Of course, Mick Ronson's work with Bowie will always overshadow the rest of his career, but his best playing with Ian Hunter is still pretty great. On this cut, they walk the fine line between glam and gum. Great Ronson solo, and a great song.

(note to people who have only heard the dreary cover by some MTV band-- forget about that bloodless version. This one is rock and roll, the way it used to be played by people who understood that rock and roll is ridiculous. They also knew that the ridiculousness of rock didn't mean you shouldn't take it seriously-- writers like Hunter and players like Ronson showed how to split the difference between the two poles.)
(MORE)